The Tales of the Dragon
by Cj Spencer
Summary: One year after their first Intermiddle, Vivio and Einhart are ready to try again to win the title of strongest fighter of Mid-Childa. However, someone dangerous is coming for them, and at that point the only way for salvation will prove being connected with one of the most obscure periods of the ancient Belkan Unification Wars: the legend of King Arthur and the fall of Camelot.
1. Fragments

**_Author's Notes_**

 _Hi to everyone!_

 _Some of you probably know it already, but I had started publishing this fanfiction a couple of years ago. However, I found out almost immediately that the first script was quite poor and lacking of details, so I made the decision of deleting it and start over again._

 _I hope you'll appreaciate this new version (the chapters already released will be quite similar, while the others will be considerably different from the previous version)_

 _See you soon!^_^_

 _Cj Spencer_

* * *

Leaden clouds crossed the red blood sky, while on the opposite sides of the desolate plain once called Camlann, two huge armies were appearing.

The air was filled with the smell of blood, sinister calling from some other battlefield thanks to a dry and arid wind.

The blonde-haired young man pointed his eyes toward the center of the enemy ranks, finally meeting the ones of the enemy commander, a boy apparently of his same age with silver hair and gentle, almost feminine traits.

Then, he turned to his right and left, watching the bunch of warriors in armor at the head of his army, men and women, young and aged, each wielding a different and yet marvelous weapon.

The boy pointed his right arm to the heavens, and a huge and beautiful sword with a bejeweled handle and mirrored blade appeared in his hand the moment he opened.

The moment he pointed his new weapon against the enemy, his whole army immediately moved to attack; even the opponents charged, and as the two armies clashed into each other, a tremendous roar echoed through the valley.

The battle was terrible, with hundreds of casualties on both sides. Soldiers in armor were fighting face to face, maiming and mutilating their bodies with powerful swings of their blades, while behind them the archers threw clouds of arrows and sorcerers tore the skies apart with such powerful spells that each time whole battalions vanished in the blink of an eye.

Bodies fell upon bodies, and the land turned red.

In the end, as if no one else had remained alive, the two commanders found themselves one in front of the other, and after a brief moment, they started a thrilling, yet horribly bloody duel.

Each of the two always seemed about to overwhelm the opponent, but without a real and complete winner, and in the end, almost proclaiming an inevitable draw, their swords collided with devastating force.

The impact produced a spark that produced initially a flare, and then a blinding, all-consuming explosion that inevitably and inexorably engulfed everything and everyone completely unstoppable in a moment, leaving behind nothing but ash.

* * *

Carim closed the book that she had taken from the library to enjoy that brief moment of peace, trying to call in her mind the images she had just read about.

It was from the most ancient of times that Camelot's history had taken the form of a myth, and even after thousands of years no one knew for sure what had caused the collapse and subsequent disappearance of one of the most powerful and ancient of Belka's kingdoms.

The only certain thing was that, after having miraculously been able to repel an invasion attempt by the entire alliance of the Saint King, expelling their forces from its island, the kingdom had ultimately fallen under the blows of a civil war between the legitimate ruler, the legendary King Arthur, and one of his most trusted knights, Sir Mordred, at the end of an exhausting conflict that had brought Camelot to ruin.

The sounds of a struggle wiped such thoughts away, and approaching one of the opened windows of her study, the young woman turned her amused gaze to the courtyard below, where Vivio and Einhard were trying to overwhelm Sister Chantez.

The beginning of the new Intermiddle was barely two weeks far, and all the girls were working hard to be prepared for that important event, eager to repeat, and if possible exceed, the previous year's performances.

"Your majesty is not doing too bad," said an amused Chantez. "You have improved a lot in these recent months."

"And this is just the beginning. Einhard-chan? "

"I'm ready!"

The two girls ran together toward Chantez, separating at the last moment and climbing on the cloister's columns before jumping towards the nun from opposite directions.

"Not bad. But as they say ... the one who plays with fire is going to get burned!"

After loading a cartridge, the nun began to wildly rotate her two tonfa, generating a couple of flaming whirlwinds that rose up in both directions forming spirals.

"Burning Tornado!"

The two girls, although surprised, managed to barely avoid the flare-ups, but when they got to the ground they found out that their opponent, taking advantage of the situation, had split into three bodies.

"The odds of the game have changed," the three said together. "Now the nuns went ahead."

One of the three then disappeared, reappearing one moment later behind Einhard ready to strike.

"Einhard-chan, watch out!"

Vivio tried to help her, but anoter Chantez stopped her, although her friend still managed to dodge the attack by going low and respond adequately once turned.

"Hao Danku Ken!"

A single, well-placed shot was more than enough to make dust of Chantez's clone, and also for her accomplice facing Vivio things quickly worsened. The little girl dodged the first two blows by moving, then, found an opening, she dealt a single powerful blow.

"Accel smash!"

The clone tried to defend itself with weapons, but the punch was powerful enough to destroy the tonfa, and at that point, for the second doublet there was no escape.

"Jet Step!"

Vivio reached the real Chantez as fast as a spark, and the young nun was barely able to see her approaching before finding herself with Vivio's fist leaning on her nose.

"I… I give up…" she stunningly said before falling on her knees. "You've both improved incredibly in those last months. I can barely recognize you".

"We trained a lot," smiled Vivio. "Right, Einhard-chan?"

"Y ... yes ..." she answered, as shy as always

"In the next Intermiddle we want to do our best."

"By the way, have you already received the information about the groups?"

"Not yet." said Einhard "They should arrive by the end of the week."

"I suppose that Corona-chan and the others too will be in the game."

"Certainly," said Vivio. "And they cannot wait to start. Even Miura, Viktoria-san and all the others have signed up. "

"Good to know!" Chantez growled, her eyes burning. "I hope to face that haughty Viktoria again. I have some unfinished business with her."

"Meanwhile, tomorrow we leave for a retreat," added Einhard. "We'll meet up with Lutecia-san again to prepare ourselves for the tournament."

"A good thing. But be careful. I have every intention to win this time!"

"Same for us!" Said Vivio.

Carim smiled, once again seeing in those girls the best side of magic.

If only the world had always been in the hands of people like them, perhaps Belka would never have fallen, nor would so many people have had to suffer.

She was about to close the window, when an unusual gust of wind made the tents flutter, scattering into the room all the oracles that Carim had recently written down thanks to the annual lunar alignment.

One of them slid to the floor right at her feet, and believing it could be a harbinger she picked it up to read it.

But what she saw didn't seem to indicate a particularly benevolent future.

 _Red clouds shake the cobalt skies_

 _High in the horizon, the dragon cries_

 _The one holding all and nothing to the heart will listen_

 _And hate he will gather, strong and pristine_

 _Endless pains shall be spread_

 _When the dark vessel its curse will shed_

 _Only dispersing anger and hate_

 _The victorious Dragons will show the new fate_

Not exactly a good prediction.

Carim felt a strange chill in her back, a familiar and unpleasant sensation.

It was not the first time it happened, and it had always been a harbinger of doom. She didn't know why, as at other times after all, but she felt that it would not take much to understand the meaning of that premonition.

* * *

An only apparently absent Arthur stared at his sister Jamie's motionless face, gently surrounded by her long and blacks hair falling on the pillow of the hospital bed where she was laying, connected to an endless number of medical devices.

At his side, with a folder in his hand and a holographic window opened at his side, there was a young but respectable brown-haired doctor, whose eyes, grey and sharp, were partially hidden behind a pair of rounded glasses.

"I'm sorry, my friend. We have done everything possible.

But the last treatment too has been useless."

"It cannot be over, Meinz" the boy hissed through clenched teeth. "I refuse to accept it. There must be something else we can do."

"Arthur, you cannot deny the truth anymore. The illness of your sister is not physical or magical. It's in her mind."

The young man clenched his fists even more.

"Why? Why did it happen to her and not to me? "

"It was just a coincidence. You are twins, it could have happened to one or the other. But it went this way. You have for the most part inherited your ancestors' powers, and Jamie their memories instead. But now those memories are killing her, because her body is rejecting them.

The more those memories push against her conscience, the more it fades, until the mind of Jamie will die, leaving only an empty body. "

Arthur hit the wall of the room, managing to make a small crack, and making the doctor jump in fear.

"I promised to my dying father that I would've protected Jamie at all cost. May a curse strike me down if I won't keep that promise.

She's my sister, and I will do everything I can to save her, even at the cost of my own life."

A completely stunned Dr. Meinz looked at him, remaining silent for a long time and listening to that young man's sobs, and then he took off his glasses, putting them in a pocket.

"Maybe ... maybe there's still a solution, after all."

Hearing these words Arthur seemed to come back to life.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's an unorthodox method, but at this point it could be the only chance to save her and find a solution to the problem of these sleeping memories."

"Even if there's only one chance in a million, you must do it."

"You're misunderstanding, Arthur. You'll have to do it. Not me."

"I'm ready."

Put his glasses again, the doctor became serious, almost menacing, glaring at Arthur with a cold glare.

"There are people who might not appreciate what you are being called upon to do. So, before I talk, tell me this.

How far are you ready to go for her? How much mud and hate are you ready to take upon yourself to give your sister a very small, perhaps insignificant hope of salvation? "

Arthur shuffled, apparently undecided.

But in the end, a flaming, and somewhat menacing fire appeared in his eyes.

"What must I do?"

* * *

For Caro and Erio it was a special day.

The day's schedule only included a quick inspection of the farms and civilian facilities near the headquarters of Carnaaji where they had been assigned only recently, so at lunchtime their work duties had been already carried out.

So, taking advantage of the situation, the two had saddled up again on Friederich's back and had reached Lutecia and Megane in their cabin for a leisurely lunch.

"I received a message from Vivio" said Megane to Erio, while Caro after having finished her lunch was flying again with Friederich around the mansion to let him blow off some steam, observed not without envy by Lutecia. "They're impatient to start with the tournament."

"I know. As I know that this time she and Einhard have good possibilities to reach a quite high position this time."

"Their good performance in the last Winter Tournament surely is a good thing, don't you think?"

"Of course. Both me and Caro have been their sparring in some friendly matches, and it's almost incredible how far they've improved in these last months."

"It will be an interesting tournament, no doubt. Lutecia too incredibly impatient to begin."

Meanwhile Caro was about to order to Friederich to get back to the ground, when suddenly, for no apparent reason, the dragon began to move furiously, launching louds of pain and fear in the process.

"Friederich, what's wrong with you?" asked a shocked Caro while trying to control it

As if it was trying to unsaddle her, Friederich first climbed quickly, then he dove to several hundred meters, over and over again, all of this without stopping to scream.

"Stay, Friederich! Stay!"

From the terrace of the chalet Megane and Erio quickly noticed what was happening, remaining equally appalled.

"Caro!" Said Erio

"If this goes on she'll fall for sure!"

And indeed, in the end, Caro lost her grip, and she was so shocked that she didn't instinctively cast a levitation spell.

Fortunately, Lutecia's reflexes were better than hers.

"Wind Net!" she exclaimed, and a series of windy carpets formed in succession under the girl, gradually cushioning her fall till the ground.

"Caro, are you all right?" asked Erio running towards her

"I ... I think so." she replied, rubbing her head.

Shortly after Friederich too returned to the ground, or rather he slammed against it flying without control, but he was still so nervous and disturbed that Lutecia had no choice but to cast a spell that covered him in magic chains, pinning him to the soil.

"But what's the problem with him?" asked Lutecia herself

"I don't know, he never acted like this before."

Only then everyone noticed the strange red light in the dragon's eyes, and only when that light started fading Friederich finally seemed return to himself, regaining self-control and meekly allowing Caro to approach him.

"Friederich, what happened to you?" asked a worried Caro, receiving a yelp of pain and sadness in response.

* * *

But it wasn't just Friederich.

At the same time, the dragons began to show the same signs of madness in countless other words including Alzus, the trainers' home world, in some cases to the point of forcing their riders to take them down for their sudden and unexplainable aggressiveness.

No one was able to understand the reason of this.

The wave of madness also reached a pleasant wooded plain of a distant world, where a young, blue-eyed woman with long blonde hair, was occupied in chopping wood in front of a humble hut. A strange sensation pursued her to violently stop her work, and the moment she got up and turned, a massive beam of light appeared from nowhere behind the mountains on the other side of the lake, violently piercing skies and reaching the outer space.

"Arthur ..." she whispered while trembling. "What have you done?"


	2. 13 Seconds

**_Author's Notes_**

 _Hi to everyone!^^_

 _As promised, I'm back again with a new chapter. This is the last chapter that I had originally released, but differently from the previous, this one instead is already a bit different from its original counterpart._

 _By the way, I'm enjoying this story's creation like few other times in my life, because I kept it in my mind for years before finding the courage to write it._

 _I say thanks to_ _ **Castlewood**_ _,_ _ **Curse Of Kings**_ _,_ _ **Darckaiser2005**_ _, and_ _ **Merged Claressa SSJ5 Goddess**_ _for having added this story among the Favourites._

 _See you soon with the third chapter^^_

 _Cj Spencer_

* * *

Like the past year, Vivio and her friends had decided to celebrate the last day of training before the tournament with a big party, once again in Nanoha's house.

But this time there were also all the other competitors that Vivio and Einhard had gotten to know during the last competition; other than Miura there were also Miss Viktoria, Miss Mikaya and Sieglinde, but also Corona and Rio.

"Cheers!" said Vivio rising her glass and opening the celebrations together with Nanoha, Fate and Hayate.

Two days before the preliminary groups had been finally announced, and all considered one could say that fate had been kind to some of them but incredibly ruthless with all others.

In order to create the greatest show possible, starting from that year all the 256 participants of all the districts of Mid Childa taking part in the Intermiddle Summer Cup will have fought each other in a single big challenge, gathered in four large groups marked from A to D.

Each group had its own course, and the winners of every group would've challenged each other in order to choose the new world champion, in addition to taking part in the final inter-dimensional tournament to see who was the best among the bests.

Vivio and Miura, respectively assigned to the groups C and D, had been the luckiest for sure; in Group C in fact there were only Lutecia and Hallie, while in D, apart from Miura, there was only Chantez.

But the most competitive of all was surely Group B, where instead one could see almost all other girls, for a curious and somehow ironic joke of destiny: in addition to Viktoria there were even Sieglinde, Fabia and Rio, although fortunately none of them had been put against a friend for the first match.

The list ended with Corona, Els, Mikaya and Einhart, assigned to Group A.

"It will be a tournament even more exciting and harsher than last year's one, I'm sure of it!" said Hallie, the most hyped about it.

"Plus this, with the new rules, the level has substantially increased" said Viktoria

"By the way" asked Nanoha. "What's the major changes in the rules exactly?"

"Speaking of the battle rules, there's been quite less changes." Said Vivio. "The important thing is that all of the tournaments between Under 15 and Under 21 have been regrouped into one single competition. The winners of the four groups will fight each other for the title of World Championship, but all of them will be automatically admitted to the Interdimensional Tournament."

Just then Rio noticed that Viktoria had opened a virtual window, remaining almost captured by the picture she was looking, probably a few years old one, representing her together with of a boy about her own age, with dark hair and a deep gaze.

"Who is him?" she mischievously asked: "Your boyfriend?"

"It's a good question, especially if you're the one to make it." she replied while smiling. "If you wanna know, he will be your first opponent.

His name is Arthur. Arthur Aygren Pendragon, the last heir and current head of the Pendragon Household."

"The Pendragons!?" repeated Els. "Miss Viktoria, do you perhaps mean the descendants of King Arthur!?"

"Exactly. At least, that's what most people think. In truth, no one can say for sure whether the current Pendragon dynasty really descends from King Arthur.

What is certain though is that, like my family, they're part of the highest nobility of ancient Belka.

We often trained together when we were in junior high school. Three years ago, when his parents died, he and his sister Jamie moved to one of their many estates in another world, and since then we did not see each other. "

"Is he strong?" asked Vivio almost hopefully.

"What do you think? If I remember correctly our score is fifteen wins apiece and zero draws. "

"He manged to beat you fifteen times!?" said Hallie. "But then he must be a monster!"

"His specialty is fencing, but he's also good in martial arts, and he has experience in the evocation too. In other words, he is a versatile and sometimes unpredictable fighter.

There's not be an easy challenge awaiting you, my dear Rio. "

"This just makes me more excited!" said a not intimidated Rio.

"That's the spirit. However, I'm not worried. Even if you lose, it would mean that I'll be his next opponent, and that wouldn't be so bad. I'm really curious to see how much he's improved in recent years. "

Shortly after the girls indulged in the festivities, allowing Fate, Nanoha and Hayate to huddle together to discuss an important matter.

"Do you remember the accident from two months ago?" Hayate asked her two friends, serving them some excellent wine just arrived from Earth, and receiving a worried nod in exchange. "A warship had identified a powerful magical signal more or less at the same time when the dragons of various worlds went out of control. But even if we've been able to discover the world from which the signal has come, after all this time we're still unable to find out the exact point where this happened. "

"What world is that?" asked Fate

"Administered World Nineteen, Camlum."

"But it should be an uninhabited world," said Nanoha. "It is a natural reserve."

"True. But there are also many ruins dating back to the Ancient Belka, some of which have not been studied or excavated by archaeologists yet. Perhaps it was from one of these ruins that the signal has come."

"Yet I don't understand how a magical signal can make dragons and wyverns go crazy, in hundreds of worlds simultaneously." replied Fate

"We have collected some of that energy, and we are now studying it. As soon as we know something, I'll let you know. "

Suddenly, Vivio and Einhart entered the room, with the most stunned and worried expressions marked on their faces.

"Mommy, it's terrible!"

"What happens?"

"Look. Look at this." and then Vivio showed them the message on her virtual window "Everyone have just received this communication from the tournament's organizers."

Nanoha and Fate red it, and their eyes too filled with dismay even before finishing.

"What the…"

* * *

"What's the meaning of this?" Nanoha shouted while violently slamming a sheet over the desk of Mikail Dembrids, once her fellow teammate at the magic academy, and now second-in-command of the Intermiddle's board of directors.

"Isn't obvious?" he calmly replied. "It's just a communications to the fighters to inform them about a new rule approved by the council."

"That's the point; I can't believe you've really approved something like this!"

"I can't see the problem, Captain Takamachi. It's a very simple rule. A little add to the regulation."

"And you call the right for the winner to claim the energy of its opponent's linker core just a little add?!"

"It's not mandatory. It's just a prize the winner will have the freedom to claim if desired."

"You're a mage like me, then you should know that the linker core is not something you can play with! It's dangerous!"

"Come on, Takamachi. We both know that a linker core is more than able to restore by itself even if deprived of its energy, especially if the owner is very young and healthy. A bit of rest, a couple of weeks without magic, and everything's settled."

"Have you ever tried to allow someone to drain your linker core? I can assure you it's not funny!»

«We demanded for a certain number of specialists' respectable opinions, and all of them agree that it's absolutely riskless for every single participant. If not, we would never have given our finally authorization."

"For the last time, it's dangerous! And I can't believe you still refuse to admit it."

At that point, Michail made clear that he was going out of patience.

"If you're so worried about this, you can make your daughter retreat from the competition."

"Of course I'll do! And I'll not be the only one! Even Einhart and the others will retreat."

"It's all up to you. But get ready for the consequences."

"What!?" a stunned Nanoha replied

"The tournament is just a one week far, and everything is settled already. If you retreat now, the less you can expect is a very high fine. Not to mention that your daughter and the others' reputation as fighters and athletes may suffer a serious blow."

"Are you joking me? This is unfair!"

"Not for the rules of the tournament." Michail calmly replied. "By the way, the fighters' sign is necessary to retreat from the Intermiddle. I'll wait here for Vivio and the others." then he sinisterly smiled. "But I'm sure they'll not do it. They're not like you, Takamachi. They have no fear."

This time, Nanoha remained speechless, unable to believe that the same man she had learned to learn and respect at the academy was the same one standing right now in front of her.

"Now, if you want to excuse me, I have other things to do."

"You're a beast." said Nanoha, enraged like few other times in her life. "You and the others." then she left almost destroying the door.

* * *

"I'll fight." Vivio said with no hesitations rising up her eyes from the TV

"What!?"

"We talked each other while you and Fate-mama were at the stadium, and we chose all together to take part at the tournament in any case."

"Vivio, listen to me." Nanoha said while gently touching her shoulders, like a good and caring mother. "If you're worried for the fine, everything's all right. I'm more than able to pay it. And you don't have to worry for your reputation either. With such careless and stupid rule, no one could blame you if you should decide to retreat."

"That's not the problem, mama. Even if they changed the rules, for some of us this will be our last Intermiddle as junior fighters. It's our last occasion to fight each other and test our strength. We cannot waste it."

"But, Vivio… you don't understand. The linker core's assimilation… it's painful. Extremely painful. It's almost like feeling life itself taken out of your body by force. And if someone decides to reclaim it, you'll have to let him do it."

"Don't worry, mama." Vivio said with a gentle smile. "I'm not interested in power, and I absolutely have no intention to make someone suffer by taking its linker core. And Einhart and the others think the same."

"Yes, I understand, but… what about the others? If someone apart the girls should defeat you."

"You have no reason to worry about this." Vivio replied trying to hide her true feelings. "Because no none will defeat me. This time, I swear I'll win!"

A resigned Nanoha smiled and caressed her daughter's long hair: it was clear that it was simply impossible for her to make Vivio change her mind.

"Very well." she said while embracing her "Just please, I beg you. Be careful."

"As always, mama."

* * *

The first day of the tournament ultimately arrived, and even if only few matches were on program for that day, the Cranagan's sports hall was completely sold out.

Vivio and the others had been barely able to sleep that last night, and both she and the others felt a strange wave of emotion when their faces appeared on the monitors, even if only for a few seconds, marking their names and status together with all other fighters.

The opening ceremony was even more impressive than the previous year's one, and before noon the first matches begun.

The first ones to take the field were the athletes of Group A, and at first nothing unusual happened at all.

Mikaya immediately put things in the right direction, defeating without a hitch her first opponent, a capable magician but not as strong as her, then was the turn of Els.

"Wait and see!" she proudly proclaimed before heading toward the arena. "It will not end like last year. This will be the beginning of my return to glory! "

Her opponent, as announced by the presenter, called Ashley D. Freichfras, eighteen, from the northern district of Mid-Childa. Physically she looked like a honest-to-good girl, with a slender but strong body denoting a strong passion for sports, brown hair in a martial ponytail and unusual purple eyes.

Even its barrier jacket, on which light blue was the main color, was a mix of elegance and comfort, and fitted with a few pieces of silver armor on the shoulders and wrists.

Walking at a slow pace, the girl walked from out the tunnel to her assigned corner, never taking her eyes away from Els.

In order for the two challengers to remember the new rules, the referee entered the ring to warn them.

"For the first three matches of this tournament there will be a single round, lasting five minutes. If one of the two falls from the ring, she will have ten seconds to climb back, or she'll have lost. If at the end of the round there won't be a winner, the match will be decided by the judges. The remaining life points will not count.

All of this clear?"

"Yes," chorused the girls

"And remember that in any case, the winner will be authorized to reclaim her opponent's linker core if she wants."

"I'll not do it.» Els said proudly. "And you?"

"Of course not." said Ashley "My power is my soul. There's no way I could desire to steal someone else's."

Ashley and Els returned to their corners, and as the virtual monitor above them gave the signal they immediately took their weapons. Ashley was wielding a strange and somehow unusual device for a Striker Arts' mage: it resembled a bow, stiff and sharp, that due to its being collapsible on its three section was able to fold in a sort of dagger.

And initially it was as a dagger that she chose to use it, because its sharp edges and curved form were certainly something one had reasons to fear; but not Els.

"Attacking frontally a barriers' expert?" she said while calling countless magic circles. "You have to go over the basics!"

Clouds of bright handcuffs rushed against her opponent from all directions, but Ashley surprisingly managed to avoid all of them, thanks to an agility that caught Els completely unprepared, leaving her exposed to a series of blows that took away from her over 2000 Life Points in just a few seconds. And she probably would have lost even more of them, but thanks to her exceptional reflexes and a bit of luck, she was ultimately able to dodge a tremendous final kick that would've thrown her out of the ring for sure.

Fortunately Ashley seemed to feel the consequences of that furious assault as well, being forced to retreat to a safe distance once understood that her last attack had failed, giving Els some time to recover.

"She's really fast," mumbled Els. "I don't even know how I managed to dodge that kick."

"I'm Ashley Dyane Freichfras" solemnly said her opponent while returning her bow to its standard form. "Last heir of Lord Edmund Freichfras and Herera Sol Kleyros, First Generals of King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table. For the honor of my ancestors and the ancient Kingdom of Camelot, I will not lose this match for anything in the world. "

"Don't be so full or yourself, this battle is far from over!" Els shouted attacking again.

Ashley dodged most of shots, but from that point on she spent the next two minutes in a defensive stance, without even trying to fight back.

However, because of her opponent's great speed and agility, and despite all the blows thrown one after another, most of Els' attack were unsuccessful, and after four minutes, Ashley had lost "just" 4000 points.

"What's wrong with you, why aren't you fighting back?" said Els while attacking relentlessly. "How can you call this a fight?"

With only a single minute left, it seemed that even without reaching the end with a KO the judges' decision would be clear; despite this, Viktoria and Sieg, sat with the other girls near the stands, were a bit worried.

"No good," said a worried Sieg seeing that her friend had begun to breathe heavily. "She's wasting too much energy."

"You're right," said Corona. "But, I don't understand why that girl is not fighting back."

"That Ashley is clearly a long range magician" said Viktoria. "Speed, agility and precision are not a problem for her, but she's not suited for a close combat like this one."

"But she attacked first," said Vivio

"It's a basic tactic," said Nanoha. "Attack quickly in order to close the match immediately. And if it weren't for Els' reflexes, she would have succeeded. But as a long range magician, her barrier jacket and her defenses in general are not fitted to absorb too many hits. That's why she's trying to avoid fighting."

"But a magician who acts in this way," said Viktoria. "is a magician that is planning something. And that oddball is so busy trying to hit her that she can't realize it. "

And indeed, there was something that no one, not even Nanoha and the others, had noticed; and it was that since Els' assault had begun, apart from dodging attacks Ashley had spent all that time to lowly recite some kind of litany, while the blue sphere set in the middle of her bow was filling more and more with a pale light.

"Now!" she muttered at the right time.

Suddenly, once reached a far enough distance from Els, Ashley materialized a lightning rope for the bow, and almost at the same moment, a shining arrow appeared among her hands.

"Blind Shot!"

The apparently inaccurate shot hit the ground at Els' feet, producing such a bright explosion that not only her, but also the entire crowd went blind for some seconds.

"Don't think this will be enough to stop me!" Els shouted trying not to lose her opponent's position.

Struggling to keep her eyes open, Els tried to look around in search for any possible threat, and in a matter of seconds, she noticed a shadow right at her left.

"Found you!" and she immediately called for all her remaining power. "Punisher!"

Rivers of magical handcuffs trapped the girl, binding her everywhere before she could even think to shoot a second arrow, but Els' sly and satisfied face dramatically changed when she saw her opponent fading away like a ghost in front of her, leaving behind only inert handcuffs.

"What?"

"An illusion?!" Einhard exclaimed, just as shocked as her.

"Watch out Els, above you!" Viktoria tried to scream, but it was already too late.

As she looked up Ashley was already above her, her legs pointed up and the head looking the ground, and in her bow there was not one, but five bright arrows.

"Infinity Arrow!"

As she shot those arrows, they became hundreds and even more, raining all together upon Els. The girl desperately managed to avoid some of them, but in the end she was hopelessly overwhelmed, suffering so many damages all her remaining life points went zero in the blink of an eye, leaving her so much beaten up that it was necessary to call for the paramedics.

"We have a winner!" said the announcer. "With an almost unbelievable comeback, newcomer Ashley Freichfras defeats her first-class opponent and moves on to the second round!"

"This... cannot... be…" an half-conscious Els muttered while the medics were taking her away. "Not again…"

Despite the speed with which the action had taken place, Nanoha and the others had understood what was happened.

"Now I understand," said Fate. "During all that time, without showing it, that girl has casted a long spell, calling at the same time all the energy she needed to launch her attack."

"So that's why she was avoiding fighting," said Corona. "By reacting Els' attacks, she would have risked losing concentration, and dispel her magic before being able to launch it."

"She has prepared a difficult spell without lowering her guard nor suffering significant blows" Nanoha declared. "That girl is really good."

Vivio, Einhard and other cadets felt a chill down their backs: she was surely another opponent to watch out for.

* * *

The tournament's schedule was built using a "relay" structure, with the matches of the four groups changing each other during the same day; so, when the first sixteen fight of Group A went out, it was time to move on to Group B, and here too the all predictions were initially respected.

Fabia fought for first, followed by Viktoria almost immediately, and as expected, both of them achieved two swift and decisive victories.

Then Rei's turn finally arrived, and for the first time in months a wave of anxiety filled the little girl's body and soul.

She had faith in her strength, but she knew that there was a very difficult opponent waiting for her, even according to Miss Viktoria's words.

However, when her time came, she didn't leave behind her proverbial boldness, lively jumping over the ring even before her name was called.

"And now we go to the tenth match of Group B, which will see the fight between two opponents of unquestionable power.

In the red corner we have a young athlete who, even with one single previous participation to the Intermiddle, has already given proof of her skills in last year's tournament, and who is surely aiming to provide once again a determined performance! Ladies and gentlemen, Rio Wesley! "

"Come on, Rio!" Vivio and the other shouted from the stands. "We're all with you!"

"But Rio must be very careful not to let her guard down, because she'll have to deal with a very fierce and dangerous opponent! Ladies and gentlemen, Arthur Pendragon! "

The usual scenic smoke was shot, but once vanished there was no trace of said opponent, by the astonishment of everyone including the presenter.

"The fighter Arthur Pendragon is asked to reach the ring right now, or he will be disqualified."

Then, after a few moments, the crowd heard a sound of footsteps, and finally the announced person appeared, warmly acclaimed despite everything.

"This young rookie has dominated his preliminary round, defeating all his opponents in matches that often lasted less than three minutes! Undoubtedly this will be a tough nut to crack for our Rio!"

Curiously its barrier jacket was much like Subaru's, adapted and redesigned to be worn by a man, with the glaring difference that the clothes, instead of white, were completely black.

Slowly, with a cold expression and looking down, Arthur reached the ring, and at that point Rio welcomed him with a friendly bow.

"Very well, gentlemen! The match can finally start!"

"Good luck," sportingly said Rio assuming her stance. "Let's do our best."

"You're not one of them," was the freezing answer she received in return. "I have no need for you."

Rio, which was not a saint at all, was quite vexed for that seemingly haughty tone, and as the bell rang she immediately went all-in: she knew she was taking a risk, but she didn't want to give the enemy time to react.

"Soryu Enbu."

The two dragons of thunder and fire appeared behind her, and then pointed straight at the enemy; the young boy, incredibly, didn't move, nor he seemed willing to dodge or repel the assault, but nonetheless the dragons, just before hitting him, disappeared, as if an invisible barrier had destroyed them.

But that was not a problem.

Rio, in fact, took that moment when Arthur was unable see her to quickly fill the distance between them, and in a few second she was already right before him; then, once jumped towards him, she prepared to close the match here and now.

"Gorai Ho!"

And again, Arthur didn't move, nor he even looked up to her, as if he was simply uninterested in fighting.

Then, something happened.

Rei was practically on the verge of hitting Arthur, a mighty blow capable of providing him some serious damages.

Instead, all of a sudden, Rio was the one to be hit; some sort of invisible force that nobody managed to see violently punched her on her left side, leaving her completely off-guard and literally shooting her outside the ring.

Even the countdown proved being unnecessary, because Rei's scorekeeper immediately fell to 0, and the same girl seemed almost lifeless, with glassy eyes and a frozen face.

"It's ... it's over!" said the announcer, shocked like all others. "Arthur Pendragon wins! The timer shows exactly thirteen seconds, which makes this match one of the shortest in the Intermiddle's history! "

But unlike every other time, no applauses saluted this victory, all replaced by a single and shocked silence.


	3. The Mark of The Knight

**_Author's Notes_**

 _Hi to everyone!^^_

 _I'm back with a new chapter faster than expected, the first one never released here on (it was released on an italian fanfiction site, but it was very different from this new version)._

 _By the way, I forgot telling you that this story should be more or less 20 chapters long, and will not have Vivid Strike characters inside of it._

 _Ok, that's all for now. I hope you'll enjoy it^^_

 _See you soon!^^_

 _Cj Spencer_

 _ **IMPORTANT: THERE'S BEEN A SMALL BUT IMPORTANT CHANGE: EINHART IS NO MORE IN GROUP B, BUT IN GROUP A.**_

* * *

The first thing Rio saw when she opened her eyes, were her companions' worried faces.

«Thanks God, you're finally awake.» Vivio said

«Where… where am I?»

«In the colosseum's infirmary.» Corona answered

«I… I can't remember clearly. What exactly happened?»

«You've been defeated.» sadly said Einhard. «I'm sorry.»

«But what's happened to you exactly?» asked a worried Vivio.

«I… I don't know it. The last thing I felt was the sensation of being hit by something, followed almost immediately by extreme pain. And immediately after I woke up here.» then Rio looked all around, trying to find out what time it was. «How much time I spent fainted?»

«Almost four hours.» Corona said. «Today's matches are over already.»

A couple of minutes later, the local doctor entered the room.

«Good news my dear.» she said. «All exams have excluded serious damages, apart for a couple of minor injuries. We found nothing important even in your magic energy, and your linker core is intact.»

«I see. So, he didn't take my energy.»

«But honestly» the doctor said with a serious and almost worried tone. «I'm quite surprised.»

«Why?» Nanoha demanded

«The arena's mechanisms are made to protect the fighter from the more serious damages, but it's almost impossible to finish a match without some scratches, especially after such tremendous blow like the one that hit you. But that's the problem. We found no direct damages, neither any sign that something really hit you.»

«But this is impossible. I've been hit by something right here, on my left side. I felt it.»

«That's the problem. You've been hit, but not from the outside. Not strongly, at least. The true damage, the blow that made you lost, has come directly from your insides.»

«What!?» said a stunned Rio «My insides? What means?»

«Your magical power has literally detonated inside you, and that's why you faced that tremendous shock.»

«I… I don't understand. You mean that… he made my magic energy explode… inside of me?»

«And I have no idea about how he did it. I've never heard of a magic like this.»

The girls looked each other in disbelief, unable to find an explanation.

* * *

The next day, the second group of matches started as planned, and fortunately, this time there were no more surprises.

Vivio and Miura, but also Chantez, Corona and Lutecia won the respective fights with no particular problems.

The same thing happened again and again in the following days, and by the last day of the First Turn almost all of the girls were sure already of having reached the second step, with only Harry left to fight.

«Where's Viktoria?» Vivio asked once noted that her friend was not with them on the stands

«I suppose she's preparing for tomorrow's match.» Sieg answered. «Remember? Tomorrow she'll have to fight against that Arthur something.»

Then, what happened to Rio suddenly came back to the girls' mind, seriously worrying some of them.

Even after a couple of days Rio hadn't recovered completely yet, and despite having spent hours trying to understand something, none of them had been still able to explain what was happened in front of their eyes.

Nanoha had even asked and obtained from the judges for a battle's over examination, but at the end nothing strange had been found in the recordings and the final result was ultimately confirm. The truth however was that even the same judges had no idea of the kind of magic Arthur had used, but as long as the arena's sensors remained silent, it was impossible for them to accuse him of cheating.

«All right girls, it's my turn!» Harry said when, around noon, her name was finally called to the ring. «By the way, I would've preferred something better than a newbie for my first match.»

«Don't be careless, Harry.» Miura said. «I've heard he's quite strong. They say he won his preliminary battles with no difficulties.»

«Don't worry, I'll be careful. But I have absolutely no intention to leave the tournament at the first round.» then she malignantly smiled. «Differently from a certain four-eyed inspector.»

«Less chats more actions, you impudent thug!» shouted a still angry Els. «And remember that whenever you should lose, I'll be here to return your arrogance with interests!»

«Oh, this will not happen. Because I'll simply not lose.» and then she headed to the tunnels.

«And now, for the final match of Group C's first turn, we'll see two true aces fight each other! In the red corner, with an impressive score of victories and fine performances in her previous participations to the Intermiddle, the brute mage of steel and fire, Harry Tribeca!»

Harry entered the arena with her usual following of classmates, quickly jumping on the ring and cheerfully saluting the crow.

Moments later, her opponent too appeared, and the mere sight of him was enough to pursue Harry thinking that her first battle was destined to be a short one. He was more similar to an actor then a fighter, with short, pale red hair, a bit little physique, light green eyes and gentle traits, at the point that many of the girls among the crowd sighted at his sight. His barrier jacket too was quite standard made by a green top, black long pants, fighting gloves, leather boots and a pair of bracelets, with no trace of those garments so loved by most of those usual newbies. He was probably sixteen or seventeen at most, but what surprised Harry the most was the weapon he was carrying as his device.

«Are you joking me?» she almost laughed. «A shield?»

And it was true: the newcomer's device was nothing but some sort of golden knight shield, wielded with the right hand and decorated with various reliefs representing an opened eye surrounded with flowers and plants.

It was already difficult to find someone using a completely defensive device in everyday life, but something like that in a fighting tournament like the Intermiddle was at the verge of madness.

However, the same presenter took the job of bringing Harry back to earth the moment he introduced her opponent.

«In the blue corner, one of the most interesting new entries of this tournament. The undefeated winner of Tamlarn's selections in the preliminary rounds. His defenses are so incredibly high that he's been named already the "Impassable Mage of Tamlarn"! Ladies and gentleman, Louis Agrevine!»

Hearing that name, Harry jumped in disbelief, like most of the crowd: the Agrevine was surely one of the most ancient and respected families of Eastern Mid-Childa, and Louis was notoriously the actual heir of their tremendous financial empire.

«This is certainly an honor for this humble servant.» Harry said while comically bowing. «I don't deserve to face such noble and respectable opponent.»

«My name and heritage count nothing on the ring.» Louis stoically replied. «All that matters are my power and technique.»

Hearing this, Harry finally decided to put her usual arrogance away.

«Well said.» she said while taking her battling position. «Come on, show me these power and technique of your.»

Harry as expected made the first move, jumping against her opponent as the bell rang and beginning a furious punches assault to which Louis replied using both the shield and an unexpected agility.

«You'll need to do something else apart dodging if you wanna win, little prince!»

«If you ask so…»

All of a sudden, Louis reversed the shield's pointed side up down, and once found an opening he used it to hit violently Harry's belly, at the point that the girl almost fell out of the ring.

«You, little…» she shouted in anger, and after having partially rolled out her chain device she launched it against the opponent. «Dodge this!»

The moment her chain enveloped around Louis' left arm, Harry launched a firing spell that put the steel on fire immediately, resulting for the young boy into an extremely painful blow that took him away almost half of his life points.

«Scutum!»

«Light Armor!» the shield sentenced.

At that point, a defensive field completely covered Louis' body, forcing the chain to let his arm go before making further damages.

«Are you really a barriers' expert?» provocatively said Harry. «You can just clean Els' shoes.»

«Don't worry. This battle is not over yet.»

«You said it. Then it's time to make it end!»

Then, dozens of fire globes appeared all around the girl, heading all together against Louis the moment she pointed her palm against him.

«Burst Barret!»

Louis stayed still, making no apparent attempt to dodge them.

«Scutum!»

«Hadrian's Wall!»

Tens of shining and glassy squares appeared in front of the boy, regrouping into a single wall right on time to stop the flames, which exploded against it without making any damage.

However, that was just the beginning. Because the moment the flames vanished, right on time before the wall too collapsed once reached its limit, Harry's was right above Louis.

«A decoy?» he stunningly said

«You're mine!» she said while her punch started covering with fire. «Oreshiki Ichigeki Hittō Punch!»

Louis barely found enough time to put Scutum to protect his face, because less than a second later Harry's tremendous punch hit it in a firestorm, producing such powerful blow that the boy was literally pushed behind, even if he miraculously succeeded in protecting himself.

Despite having failed in his first assault, Harry was more than sure that the force put in her spell and attack was enough to obliterate Louis' defenses completely and then win the match.

However, to everyone's amazement, Louis resisted, and for each passing second the fire's power seemed decreasing, even faster than expected.

«What the…» said a stunned Harry.

Once understood that this attack too was about to fail, and in order to avoid finding herself exposed to a counterattack, Harry jumped behind and took a safety distance once again; like this, she was able to see her flames literally sucked inside of the shield, thanks to countless holes opened on the surface.

Louis remained still until the last trace of fire was absorbed and then the holes closed, leaving behind a shield damaged, but still incredibly intact.

«Acquisition Complete.» said Scutum.

«What!?» Harry said.

Her companions too among the crowd were clearly speechless.

«I can't believe it!» Rio said. «Harry's spell has being…»

«Absorbed!?» Corona completed her phrase

«You little thief!» said an enraged Harry. «How dare you to steal my magic?»

«Don't worry, I'll return it to you really soon!» Louis replied, and under everyone's eyes his device changed shape like clay, turning into some sort of massive steel glove and reshaping all around his hand and arm.

«Assault mode, complete.»

Knowing that her opponent was preparing something against her, Harry chose to launch another assault as soon as possible. However, the moment she moved her feet, Louis violently punched the ground with his new device, producing a powerful shockwave, and less than a second later Harry found herself closed inside some sort of tiny jail made of shining bars.

«What the hell is this?» she shouted while unsuccessfully trying to get free

«Birdcage.»

«It's time to finish this.» said Louis, and his device started turning red as hot metal.

Seeing the pose her opponent was taking, Harry remained speechless.

«That pose» she shockingly said. «Don't tell me…»

«Scutum is not just a shield.» Louis said while a magic circle started appearing under him. «Every time you hit him, he literally opens my opponent's mind in front of me. I can see everything: its tactics and thoughts. Even the spells he uses. Moreover, whenever I'm able to catch its power thanks to Scutum's assimilation abilities, then those spells become mine.»

«No, this can't be true! I refuse to be defeated by my own technique!»

«It's useless. There's no way for you to get free. That cage too is made with the same power Scutum has absorbed from your previous assaults.»

At that point, a circle appeared under Harry's feet too.

«No! No no no no!»

«Take this! Volcanic Blaze!»

A column of fire literally exploded from the ground right under the cage, and despite her desperate attempt to call a shield, Harry was enveloped by flames and devastated by the blow, and when the fire extinguished she was lying to the floor, surrounded by debris and with her whole body covered with injuries.

«No… This can't be true…» she said desperately trying to get up. «I can still… fight.»

But at the end her remaining life points were wiped away and she was forced to surrender, helplessly collapsing to the ground.

«It's over! And this is one more unexpected result for this Intermiddle! Harry Tribeca, one of the most powerful and respectable fighters of the past tournament, leaves the Intermiddle at the First Turn! The winner is Louis Agrevine!»

A bit proved Louis at that point raised his arm in victory, acclaimed like a superstar by most of the crowd. However, apart for Vivio and the others, someone was still too much shocked and stunned to exult.

Half hidden behind a column in the highest portion of the stands, Ashley had followed the entire match in disbelief, because differently from all others she had noted something strange in what she had just seen; something familiar.

«What's happening? Why now? Why here?» she said

* * *

Fortunately Louis too chose to not take his defeated opponent's linker core, and after the match Vivio and the others left the stands almost immediately to reach Harry at the infirmary, leaving only Nanoha, Fate and Hayate to enjoy the last match of the first turn.

«We've finally reached the end of the First Turn!» said the presenter «And as tradition, we've left the best for last! In fact, for this last fight, we'll see on the ring one of the legends of the Intermiddle's male tournament! With an outstanding record of three podiums in the last four edition, in the red corner, ladies and gentleman, Danny Tria!»

It was not an exaggeration, not at all.

Danny Tria, or The Thunder of Cranagan and the press loved to call him, was probably one the greatest male magicians ever seen in the whole Intermiddle's history.

He had always reached the finals in his six previous participations at the tournament, and he already had there were three crowns of Mid-Childa, two interdimensional finals and one absolute victory of the Male Intermiddle U15 in his personal showcase.

He was a master of martial arts, well known in particular for his kicks' tremendous power, and even before the regrouping for that year between females and males was confirmed he was among the favorites for the final victory.

Right for this, everyone in the crowd expected to see him triumphing without problems since his first match. But things were destined to be dramatically different, and the same name of his opponent was enough to make clear that the last match of the first round was probably destined to be quite surprising.

«Danny's first opponent is a newcomer of the Intermiddle. But as the previous matches have showed us, this year's rookie have proved being tough nut to crack even for the most known and respected fighter. In the blue corner, at her first participation, the Black Lady, Eveline Geis!»

Hearing that surname, Nanoha and the others, not to mention the other TSAB members among the crowd, remained stunned.

«Geis!?» Nanoha said. «Don't tell me she's…»

A rapid search in the Agency's database was enough to prove the girls' first impression.

«She's General Geis' second daughter.» said Hayate, while all the memories of her not exactly idyllic relationship with Regius Geis started coming back to her mind.

Eveline appeared on the arena a couple of seconds later, and just watching her one could easily understand the reason for her nickname.

Her dark and shiny armor was like a black diamond, made even more elegant by some white drapes around the belt and along the legs. Her hair too were white and shiny like snow, elegantly regrouped in twin tails, while the eyes at the opposite were as red as a couple of rubies, making her an outstanding, but even a bit sinister beauty.

This time her device was quite standard, a proper and true knight lance as dark as her dress, with a short handle and a massive, conical point.

«What a bad luck.» Danny arrogantly said. «I was hoping to avoid females. I'm still here trying to understand who's the idiot that made the decision to regroup the Intermiddle's tournaments.»

«It's better for you if you enjoy this battle.» the girl coldly replied. «It will be your only one you fight.»

«It will be a pleasure for me to make you know your place, little girl.»

As the referee called the warriors to get ready to fight, a not at all scared Eveline raised her massive lance in front of her while taking position.

«Let's finish this quickly. Are you ready, Gae Bulg?»

«Of course, Master.»

«I'm counting on you. Let's do our best.»

Danny was so enraged for that girl's apparent lack of fear that he had to force himself to wait the bell before running against her with all his might.

«I'll beat you so strong that you'll learn your place in a second!»

Once covered both his legs with thunders, the boy launched a mighty roundhouse kick.

«Tae Lam Tua!»

Eveline managed to stop him with the spear, but the thunder spell still succeeded in shocking and paralyzing her, leaving the girl exposed to a second attack.

«Tien Pai Kor!».

This second kick smashed against a defenseless Eveline, throwing her out of the ring among jolts and dust.

«That's it.» Danny said in satisfaction. «It's been easier than expected. As I said, there's no place for girls and boys in the same tournament.»

The counter started marking the seconds, and everyone expected to see it extinguish before that girl could hope to find enough force to come back to the ring.

But suddenly, the dust still covering part of the arena was wiped away by a powerful wind, and a moment later Eveline reappeared from nothing, and by everyone's surprise her life points proved being almost intact.

«It's incredible! Eveline Geis is still standing, and by heavens, it seems she has neither felt Danny's mighty attack!»

Danny too was speechless, and when his opponent returned to the ring as nothing happened, he literally went out of mind.

«You, little… just stay down!»

Then, the boy jumped the higher he could, covering both feet with so shiny and powerful thunders that most of the crowd was forced to protect the eyes.

«Tawad Kor!»

This time, Eveline moved so fast that when Danny reached her she had already raised her lance to protect herself from the attack, and even Danny had put in his spell enough force to pulverize everything, his opponent's device resisted.

«Do you wanna go down or not, you little brat?»

«You're the one that will go down after this! Gae Bulg!»

«Wind Gun!»

Some sort of explosion occurred, and Danny was helplessly thrown in air by its power. The boy desperately tried to recover, but the moment he succeeded in turning, he found Eveline menacingly pointing her device against him.

The point of the spear started rolling like a drill, and Eveline's magic circle appeared under her feet.

«Wind Spear!»

The spear rolled at the point of generating a massive tornado, and at a girl's command, this mighty wing was shot against Danny, which was literally shot away, almost breaking all his bones against the roof of the stadium before falling already fainted to the ground.

«It's over! Eveline Geis wins! This is incredible, gentlemen! Simply outstanding! Danny Tria, the Thunder of Cranagan, has been defeated in his opening match by a rookie fighter!»

The crowd remained speechless for a little moment, but at the end, they joyfully acclaimed the winner as she deserved, calling her name while applauding.

But Evelin styed apparently indifferent to such warm and sincere admiration, and even before the referee could ask her if she wanted make use of her right to claim Danny's linker core she turned her back to the ring and left.

However, before disappearing inside the tunnels, she suddenly stopped, menacingly pointing her eyes toward Nanoha, Fate and Hayate.

«Just stay and watch!» she said pointing her spear against them. «Next ones will be your pupils!»

«Well gentlemen, that's all for the first turn! We wait for you next Monday for the beginning of the second turn, which will start with a first class match between the Thunder Princess Viktoria Dahlgrun and one of this first turn's most outstanding revelations, Arthur, the heir of the Pendragons!»

* * *

While most of the stadium was still trying to recover for Danny and other champions' unexpected defeat, Louis had already taken his way to the exit, and he was about to leave the building passing from a less frequented section.

«My grandfather told me about that style.» he suddenly heard behind his back. «You belong to the Lothar household, right?»

Once stopped, the young boy waited a moment before turning to answer.

«My ancestor was Lot of the Lothars.» he said. «And you are the heir of Freichfras, right?»

«I'm Ashley Freichfras. And this is the first time I meet the heir of an ancient member of the Round Table.»

«Same for me.»

«This cannot be a coincidence.» Ashley said while a strange light appeared in her eyes. «You've felt it too, right? That call in our mind.»

Louis mumbled, as if he was afraid to answer.

«The households of the Round Table were vanished from history for centuries, spreading like petals among endless worlds, but all of a sudden two of their descendants meet each other in the same place. It's the Resonance.»

«My power belongs to me. I have no need of someone else's aid to win.»

«You cannot deny the truth, Louis. Just try to be honest. Both you and I have done things far beyond our supposed capacity on that ring.»

The young boy clenched his fists and looked down, unable to accept the truth.

«I'm sure they spoke you about Merlin's prophecy.»

«Wait the day when a light of power will awaken in you.» Louis started repeating. «That's the day when our glorious nation will come back to life. Obey the Resonance, and Camelot will rise again.»

«I too was shocked at first, because I had always thought like you that it was just a legend. But now I feel it. I feel that power inside me. Here in my chest. The same power King Arthur had given to all his knights so that they could protect Camelot from any threat. When Camelot fell, that power went asleep, but it has never vanished completely. And now it lives again. It's been that power to lead you here, right? You can't deny it.»

«I had made the decision to participate this Intermiddle even before all this happened.» Louis answered as if he was trying to find a justification to all that

«Same for me. But maybe, all this is part of a plan settled centuries ago. Who knows, maybe there are other knights hidden among the other participants. And if the prophecy is true, this could mean that even King Arthur's descendent is right here. You know who I'm talking about, right?»

«We can't be sure about this. The current Pendragons linage has never been proved being part of the ancient household. Legend says that King Arthur died with no descendants.»

«Maybe they were wrong. What counts is that if the Resonance occurred, this means that a member of the ancient Pendragon household has called us. In this case, we have the sacred duty to obey his commands and make sure to accomplish his will.»

Louis remained silent for a long time, but at the end he turned his back to Ashley.

«My life will not follow someone else's dispositions. If this supposed Arthur's descendant has truly called us, I'll decide by myself if he's worth of my loyalty or not.»

«How can you speak like this? You belong to the ancient households of Camelot!»

«The promises made by my ancestors are none of my business.»

However, none of them realized that someone was listening to them. Well hidden behind an angle, Evelin had heard the entire conversation; and once remained alone, she found herself unable to resist the impulse of touching her chest, with a strange and almost worried expression in her eyes.


End file.
